Qingshan Town

Gu He naturally had no idea what conclusions Teng Shan and Ya Fei had drawn from his unusual attitude. But even if he knew, he would not care, so long as they did not conclude that he was actually an impostor. They could speculate all they liked.

After flying out of the Imperial Capital, Gu He found a forest and flew straight toward it. Once inside, he changed out of his conspicuous clothes into a comfortable green robe, then put the Ice Silkworm Mask over his face. At once, a cool sensation slowly seeped in through his face and entered his mind. Gu He could even vaguely feel that his facial features were beginning to wriggle.

He took a crystal mirror from his Ring and looked at his drastically altered appearance. Gu He nodded in satisfaction. Even Yun Yun would not recognize him now, right?

He still lacked a weapon for self-defense. Though, with the strength of a Dou Wang, few people or beasts in the Jia Ma Empire could harm him, he was currently playing the role of a relatively powerful traveler, not a Dou Wang.

Gu He took an unmarked sword from his Ring and hung it at his waist.

Then, following the direction of Qingshan Town from his memories, he headed straight there.

Gu He's destination this time was the depths of the Small Valley that Xiao Yi Xian had once brought Xiao Yan to near Qingshan Town. It contained pure energy and many precious medicinal herbs, making it perfect for Gu He to cultivate, adapt to his current strength, and refine medicine until he fully mastered his alchemy skills.

After five days of traveling by day and cultivating at night, he finally arrived at Qingshan Town. Gu He was now covered in dust, but with the physical constitution of a Dou Wang, such a journey had not tired him in the slightest. It had even improved his control over his body somewhat.

Qingshan Town was also called Beast Town because it stood near the Monster Mountain Range. The largest group in town consisted of mercenaries who lived each day with their lives on the line. They gathered in groups, arms folded, spittle flying as they talked without restraint about which women in town had the most flavor, where the strongest liquor was sold, and where the fiercest magical beasts could be found...

Gu He's slender figure and green robe made him seem utterly out of place among these brawny mercenaries.

There were many shops on both sides of the street, and thanks to the town's favorable location, business was quite bustling. Gu He found a decent-looking inn and settled in.

After securing a room and confirming where he would spend the night, Gu He went back out for a stroll, intending to see Xiao Yi Xian, known as the "finest waist in Battle Through the Heavens."

Gu He casually bought a few things from a roadside shop, then asked the clerk for directions to Myriad Medicine House. Since Gu He had made a purchase, the clerk was quite attentive in giving him directions. Before he left, worried that Gu He might forget, the clerk even thoughtfully drew him a simple map.

After thanking the helpful clerk, Gu He followed the indicated route toward Myriad Medicine House.

After turning down several streets, the noise gradually faded away. Gu He slowly walked along a quiet path, and before long, a rather distinctive small estate appeared in his sight.

Seeing that it was not the sort of medicinal shop he had expected, but instead an estate, Gu He prepared to leave. He could not exactly break in like a thief on the roof just to catch a glimpse of Xiao Yi Xian.

At that moment, a young girl of fourteen or fifteen came around the corner of the path, carrying a medicine basket in her hand. She wore a pale white dress, and her features were elegant and delicate. Her faintly smiling face gave off a fresh, ethereal air.

Of course, the most eye-catching feature was her willow-like waist, so slim that it could barely be grasped in one hand, bound by a green sash.

A flicker of amazement passed through Gu He's eyes. He nodded to the girl, then left.

The girl gave Gu He a puzzled glance. But Qingshan Town was close to the Monster Mountain Range and extremely dangerous, so people who had lost their minds often appeared here. She classified this man making strange expressions as one of them.

Now that he had seen Xiao Yi Xian and fulfilled one of his wishes, Gu He decided that he would set out for the Monster Mountain Range tomorrow and find that Small Valley as soon as possible.

After cultivating for the entire night at the inn, Gu He set off in high spirits the next day, heading directly toward the Monster Mountain Range.

There were already many mercenaries on the road, traveling in groups of three to five or even more than ten. Gu He was the only one traveling alone. Many of them looked at him with mocking, contemptuous eyes, yet none warned him that he was obviously seeking death.

Gu He understood exactly what they meant. Mercenaries lived by licking blood from their blades, and most groups of this size had been assembled temporarily, with no trust between one another. Much less would they trust a complete stranger. In their eyes, Gu He was already dead. It was merely a question of who would be lucky enough to obtain the money and pills on his body. Who would warn him about the dangers of the Monster Mountain Range? They wished more fools like him would come every year, so they could earn more extra money.

"Little brother, first time in the Monster Mountain Range?" one of the mercenaries shouted to Gu He halfway there.

The other mercenaries all shot hostile looks at the man who had spoken. He glared fiercely back at them. Seeing his muscular build, however, no one wanted to be the first to provoke him. They resentfully withdrew their gazes. Even the teammates traveling with the speaking mercenary looked at him strangely, then quietly put some distance between themselves and him.

Gu He looked at the mercenary but said nothing.

"The Monster Mountain Range is very dangerous, especially for people coming here for the first time. Usually, you need to come three times with locals guiding you. Only after becoming familiar with the environment here and the distribution of magical beasts would anyone above the level of a Dou Master consider entering the Monster Mountain Range alone."

"I can see that this is your first time here, so you may not know the situation. Why not let me first help you familiarize yourself with the area around the Monster Mountain Range and explain the distribution of magical beasts? When I first came here two years ago, I did not understand anything either. Fortunately, a kind person helped me. It is not easy being away from home; if we can help a little, we should."

As he spoke, the mercenary seemed to recall something and suddenly sighed with emotion.

Gu He watched his performance with interest. To be honest, an ordinary person might have bared his heart to this man after hearing such a vivid and heartfelt speech. But Gu He's powerful soul perception clearly detected the mercenary repeatedly glancing at his Ring with what he believed were concealed sidelong looks.

It was very likely that this mercenary possessed some knowledge and had noticed certain differences between Gu He's Ring and ordinary Rings. He had also sensed that Gu He was weak, not yet even a Dou Master, and so greed had taken root in his heart, leading him to stage this little act all by himself.

Gu He smiled. "It is indeed my first time in the Monster Mountain Range. I heard there are many precious medicinal herbs inside, so I wanted to gather some. I think there should not be much danger if I only wander around the outskirts. Oh, and I still do not know your name. Mine is Gu Ling."

Gu He had no intention of telling his real name to a scoundrel.